Bienvenue!

Can you imagine driving all the way from Tribeca NY to Red Bank NJ...more than 2 hours worth of driving back and forth...all in the name of Marseille?

Well, that is exactly what happened last night! Michael, Ronnie and myself were meeting Dawn Ellison and Michael Colameco from WOR Radio for dinner and were we all in for a surprise. Besides just a dinner it turned out to be a little surprise birthday party -for me. My birthday isn't really until the end of the week but so what? I was very happy with the flowers, compliments and the incredible feast that was about to be laid out for us.

Bienvenue is a demure little bistro in Red Bank NJ and once you enter, you are transported inside a little inn next to the French countryside.
You can almost smell
the air tinged with
sea salt,
the faint
wisps of scent
from delicate rose petals,
the sweet trickling
of a stream
splashes
of goldfish

and the blue blue sky.

Those of you living in NJ or NY who haven’t been to this little town have to make a special trip and visit. Situated on the banks of Monmouth County's beautiful Navesink River, the Borough of Red Bank is a small town, approximately five miles inland from the Atlantic Ocean. Red Bank takes its name from the clay banks of the river that serves as one of its borders. Even though it is a tiny little spot it boasts of over 75 restaurants and is also known for its boutiques, culture and parks.

Chef Frederic works in the kitchen by himself and his lovely wife Audrey takes care of the front of the house and last night we even got to see Hugo, their little baby.

Without taking a plane to the south of France I had probably the simplest yet the most flavorful southern French home cooking. We had 7 courses over 3 hours...accompanied by some delicious wines.

Home made pate plus caviar d'aubergine (long roasted eggplant with tomatoes, garlic and fresh herbs).

Porcini with black Truffle Risotto

Warm goat cheese salad with red beet vinaigrette

Home made foie gras terrine with black truffle salt

Bouillabaise marseilleuse

Duck Confit with pomme salardaise

Frangipane as dessert.

With candles that I made a wish on and blew out.



7 E. Front St
Red Bank, NJ 07701
Tel: 732-936-0640

Daryl's Wine Bar

Chef David Drake does it again! After opening the successful David Drake's restaurant in Rahway NJ and getting 4 stars for it from the NJ Star Ledger, he has tried his hand at something a little bit different.
Daryl's wine Bar and Restaurant is located in New Brunswick, NJ in the Heldrich Hotel. New Brunswick's main street is a small picturesque little square with a couple of well known restaurants like The Frog and the Peach and Stage Left just a stone's throw away.

Daryl's menu features influences from all over the world in mostly tapas sized plates. Executive Chef David Drake has developed many new distinctive and memorable dishes to add to his primarily Creative American fare. I was personally really interested in their vast wine selection and the Enomatic Wine serving System.

This system featured at Daryl is one of the only systems of its kind in the Tri-State Area. Enomatic preserves bottles of wine and serves them by the glass using a self-service wine debit card. Hand made in the hills of Tuscany, this advanced way of presenting and preserving wine has slowly made its way to the United States. There are over 75 wines from all over the world to choose from and this is great way to try wines that you would never have thought of trying before!

302 George Street
at the Heldrich Hotel
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
tel: 732 253 7780